I'll be in Paris in 2 weeks and will be taking day trip to St. Malo to meet friends who live up there.

I'll be taking a 2 hour train ride from Paris to Rennes and then they will pick me up in Rennes by car and we'll drive to St. Malo and then they'll drive me back to Rennes to take the train back to Paris.

Now here's my question: They're going to be driving me back to Rennes earlier than I would like (he's rather sickly and loses steam by the end of the day) so I'm considering the following 2 options:

1. Staying in Rennes on my own for a few hours late in the day (4:00- 7:00PM) and then taking the train back. So, is Rennes an interesting and safe city to walk around for a few hours on one's own? Will some things (museums, art galleries, shops) still be open at that time of day. I'll be going on Wednesday or Thursday.

2. Having them leave me in St. Malo to spend some time on my own. I've heard that St. Malo is a very interesting city. (same time questions as above for Rennes) However, it would mean taking a train to Rennes and then changing for the train to Paris. Is that a hassle? Is it the same train station? I don't speak French, though I'm generally pretty good at finding a kind soul to help me.

Thanks for your opinions. I'm purposely not asking the people I'm visiting, because I think that they might feel pressured to spend more time together than the husband is physically comfortable with.

Candice NYC